DIY Hop Canon

[dragonfire540]

So here is my home made Hop Canon. Used a paintball tank with a fitting from a paintball gun to a pressure regulator then ball valve and a one way valve.
Allows me to inject hops up through the bottom like the pros. Also to blow co2 in to get the hops back into the beer for dry hopping.

So far works great. Just remember to use the mini regulator... I kinda blew hops all over the dining room before adding it!

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[helterscelter]

Interesting. I've never heard of this sort of device. Can you explain some about what it actually does, how to use it, why to use it, etc? Sounds cool. Cannons and beer, what could go wrong? Lol

 

[user 40839]

Hop cannons are used by some brewers to inject hops into the fermenter using CO2, so as not to introduce any oxygen. Remember BYO had something about it a while back. Not so much about hop cannons, but more why O2 is the enemy, and how it's important to avoid introducing it at any stage after fermentation.

edit: here ya go. http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3187-advanced-dry-hopping-techniques

 

[helterscelter]

Hop cannons are used by some brewers to inject hops into the fermenter using CO2, so as not to introduce any oxygen. Remember BYO had something about it a while back. Not so much about hop cannons, but more why O2 is the enemy, and how it's important to avoid introducing it at any stage after fermentation.

edit: here ya go. http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3187-advanced-dry-hopping-techniques

Very cool.. Thanks!

 

[dragonfire540]

Interesting. I've never heard of this sort of device. Can you explain some about what it actually does, how to use it, why to use it, etc? Sounds cool. Cannons and beer, what could go wrong? Lol

Great explanation Ubermick

Basically this allows me to do two things.

inject hops into my conical fermentor from the bottom port
and use CO2 to blow those hops back up in the beer a couple times a day. The hops eventually fall to the bottom and in a conical that means less utilization, so this allows me to blow them back up. just once or twice a day, and just enough to get the hops back up in the beer. I Dry hop after the yeast have dropped and I dumped them but just before final gravity is set to help ensure there is some yeast available still to scrub the hops of any oxygen that might be attached to the hops.
In the Hops book Stan Interviewewd several brewers that use this. And they said it is all about flow, not pressure. I think I will modify the design a bit and experiment with longer tube, see if I can get a better flow for hops. Perhaps use something smoother on the inside.

 

[user 40839]

Does it not cause an explosion further north? As in, shooting the top layer of CO2/air as well as some kreusen and potentially wort out of the airlock/blowoff? (Since the goal would be to not introduce O2, assume the conical stays closed)

 

[dragonfire540]

Does it not cause an explosion further north? As in, shooting the top layer of CO2/air as well as some kreusen and potentially wort out of the airlock/blowoff? (Since the goal would be to not introduce O2, assume the conical stays closed)

It will if I use too much pressure.
I remove the airlock after spraying starsan all over to release some of the co2
I dry hop post of fermentation so there is no krausen and dropped yeast
The mini pressure regulator on there keeps my pressure low I want a flow not a burst